A warm welcome once again to Bud Hancock with another article pertinent to your times. It is good to ponder the future as described in Scripture, especially as you see prophecy being fulfilled almost every day.

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley

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Judgment of the Nations – Part One

Judgment Isn’t Coming, It’s Here

By Bud Hancock

Introduction

Discipline, punishment, judgment; do all three words mean the same thing? Or is there a difference between them? Let’s take a closer look to see just what these words mean and see how they can affect us, or may already be affecting us.

Discipline

Many parents believe they are “disciplining’ their children when they spank them, but that is not entirely correct. Spanking is more a form of punishment, either verbal or possibly physical intended to bring about a change in behavior for breaking parental rules and results from the judgment by a parent that the child is guilty of rule-breaking.

The root word of discipline is “disciple”, which is derived from the Latin word “discipulus”, which means “student”, or “one who studies”. The actual word discipline is from the Latin word, “disciplina” which means “instruction and training”. In a limited sense, it can also mean correction of certain actions meant to improve a person’s behavior through instruction and training.

Punishment

Per Merriam-Webster Dictionary, punishment is (a) suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution, (b) a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure, and (c) severe, rough, or disastrous treatment.

Punishment is usually inflicted upon one person by another person or by society, while discipline is usually a matter of one training oneself to adhere to certain standards, so it seems the main purpose of punishment is NOT the same as the main purpose of discipline. It can be easily seen from the above explanation that discipline is not to be, or should not be, considered primarily the same as punishment.

Judgment

From The Free Dictionary, judgment means “A decision by a court or other tribunal that resolves a controversy and determines the rights and obligations of the parties”.

From uslegal.com “A judgment is the final decision by a court in a lawsuit, criminal prosecution or appeal from a lower court’s judgment. It is the court’s final decision regarding the rights and obligations of the parties to a case. A judgment is also referred to as a decree.”

The judgment obviously is the action that occurs near the end of a trial when all evidence has been presented and arguments have been heard, and the judge then issues his decree, whether innocent or guilty on charges that were brought. Pending appeals, judgments are usually followed by the punishment decreed.

What are The Three Words Based On?

If discipline is studying, learning or being involved in instruction and training, in order to form or improve one’s behavior, then a “standard of behavior” must be used as the basis for it.

If punishment is involved as a result of actions deemed to be wrong, or illegal, a standard of behavior/form of law must be used as the basis for inflicting punishment upon a person.

If judgment occurs as the result of hearing or observing possibly incorrect or illegal behavior, there must be a finding that one or more of the applicable laws, part of the existing rule of law, must have been violated and that finding is to be used as the basis of the judgment.

Judges at various levels in human government are placed in positions of authority in hearing and deciding who receives a decree of judgment and who is set free.

All of the above are pertinent to the functioning of a valid, fair and honest system of justice in the governments of the World’s nations. In many cases, if not most where the systems of justice are not only invalid, having become so politicized as to be useless, they are run by corrupt people who care little about maintaining law and order or providing true justice for the citizens. In these cases, a lack of law enforcement at the highest levels denies justice and provides a perfect environment for the complete breakdown of society, a departure from law and order, and the endangerment of the very threads of civilization.

But this article is dealing with judgment on a much larger scale than that which affects individuals.

The Purpose of Judgment on Individuals

When a judgment is rendered as a result of a trial wherein a person has been accused of breaking a law, and that person is sentenced to serve time in a prison, or is possibly sentenced to death, what is actually happening to, or for, society? The person, or persons, accused and convicted are “removed from society” thereby cleansing, to some extent, society of some level of evil and danger FROM that evil.

Though it may sometimes seem harsh, or even cruel, to judge and inflict punishment on those found guilty of crimes, it is actually a great benefit to society and intelligent people should always look at judicial proceedings in that light. The purpose of laws is to establish a safe and peaceful environment wherein people may live their lives and raise their children. The continued presence of lawbreakers, who have little regard for peace and safety in a civilized area requires the process of law enforcement and judgments against those who have no respect for the law.

When evil people ignore laws that have been established to maintain that peace and safety, and if the acts of law-breaking are not addressed, chaos soon becomes the norm and peace and safety disappear altogether.

Judgment on Nations

Just as a court of law is the foundation of the judicial system wherein those charged with crimes are “tried”, so God’s Court of Law/Justice is the foundation for His actions in which He judges and punishes the nations for their evil actions.

Nations can be as evil as individual persons, possibly much more so since the leaders of nations tend to be those who will do and say anything to reach their positions of power and control over society. There have been many such nations and leaders throughout history, for example, the empires mentioned in the Book of Daniel and other places in the Bible.

Beginning with Nimrod, who tried to build a tower that would reach heaven, thereby establishing him as a god, tyrants have gained and maintained control over masses of people who merely wanted to live in peace, but tyrants have no regard for anything but their own pride and self-enrichment.

Their evil consisted then, as now, of doing everything imaginable to contradict God and His word, and assume control over that which was meant for individuals and God. Satan set the example of such evil when he tempted man and assumed power over the World, given to him by Adam’s sin. God had intended for mankind, with Adam as the first, to use His word (God’s Law) as a guide to establish God’s truth and purpose on this earth, which is to replenish the Earth and to reveal God to all mankind in His majesty, His wisdom and knowledge, His glory and His eternal love for all His creation, especially His man.

But sin and disobedience allowed Satan to disrupt that plan and caused God to bring judgment on all of sinful mankind.

God who (1) established the nations of the World and (2), instituted government in those nations, and (3) Who is the owner of the Earth and everything in it (Psalm 24:1), has the right to (4) charge every nation with breaking His law and (5), bring judgment on every nation, based on His Word (His Law).

Throughout human history, God has used various means of chastening the people of the world for their ant-God or anti-Christ actions. His purpose was always to bring them back into line with His established word. Sometimes His actions were verbal, while other times He allowed or caused serious problems to overtake the guilty nations.

The one time when He went far beyond chastening was during the time leading up to Noah’s Flood when the behavior of humanity was so evil that there was no hope of bringing them back from the brink. His decision to destroy all humanity and animal life, safe pairs of clean animals and eight human souls resulted in a new start for mankind and a new opportunity to display a voluntary obedience to His word.

The Charges Against the Nations

In his perfect timing, His charges and His judgment will be issued against every nation, to prove their guilt or innocence. The question is: What criteria will be used, based on His Word, to charge against the nations, to determine their guilt or innocence? What will those nations, if determined to be guilty as charged,  be found guilty of?

God issues His decree for the expected behavior of the World toward the offspring of the man He chose to be the father of many nations, as well as the one from whom Messiah would come. In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised to bless anyone, whether an individual person or a nation that would bless Abraham; He also pronounced and guaranteed a terrible sentence upon persons or nations that disrespected or cursed Abraham.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “bless” as (1), to speak well of, (2) to confer prosperity or happiness upon. Speaking well of a person would be tantamount to respecting that person, while conferring prosperity upon would refer to aiding  and assisting that person in times of difficulty and trouble. I believe this is what God meant when He pronounced that policy regarding Abraham and his offspring to the World.

I need to say this at this point: “God is NOT a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent…” (Numbers 23:19). God does NOT change: “For I am the Lord, I change not…” (Malachi 3:6). God Who is righteous, indeed Who IS righteousness, cannot lie, because there is no evil in Him, and when He utters His word, He will not change it. His very existence, His majesty and His Righteousness is based on His Unchangeability.

When He spoke the words to Abraham, recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, they became Law and are eternal in nature and will not ever change, just as He will not ever change. They are as active and alive today as they were when He spoke them to Abraham. No matter who the individual, or the nation, that speaks evil of the Jewish people and curses them, they will all will face the judgment and wrath of Almighty God and He will carry out the sentence He has decreed upon such people and nations.

The judgment of individuals who have been found guilty in a court of law provides the benefit of cleansing society of evil people. In the same manner when Jesus returns and sets foot on the Earth again and judges the nations from His throne in Jerusalem, His judgment will provide the benefit of cleansing the Earth of all evil prior to The Lord’s Millennial Reign. Then He and Hos saints will all have a more pure environment to begin the work of restoring the ravaged Earth.

At this point in time, we are about to witness another move by God that will eliminate all evil from the world and provide a safe, peaceful and perfect environment for 1000 years on the earth.

If you live in a nation that has offended God with sin, disobedience and/or apostasy, now would be a good time to begin praying for God to bring a revival of the Church and a time of repentance of the people before God’s judgment OF the nations becomes His punishment ON the nations.

Once that judgment begins, it will be too late for repentance.

The judgment on the final nations of the world will be covered in the next article, “The Coming Separation Between Sheep Nations and Goat Nations”.

Blessings and Maranatha!

budaroo@twc.com